This invention relates in general to computer system user interfaces and, more particularly, to graphical user interface help features.
Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) are commonly used with computers for enabling simplified interaction between a user and computer. GUIs are commonly developed in software, although firmware and/or circuit embedded implementations of GUI sub procedures or even entire routines are not uncommon. Graphical interfaces provide an appealing option over textual entry of commands for functional control of the computer and/or peripherals associated with the computer.
The use of GUIs has exploded with the ongoing development of faster and more capable computing platforms and resources. For example, xe2x80x9ctab sheetsxe2x80x9d are known GUI components (i.e., graphical representations or images) that provide a means for presenting information in a manner that portrays overlaid sheets of data. Each tab sheet can be individually selected or manipulated (on screen) for viewing data associated with that tab sheet or for viewing data on an underlying sheet. Other GUI components, such as icons or buttons, may visually represent features for enabling computer functions, such as opening, closing or deleting files. GUIs may mix graphical images with textual descriptions of the configuration or function represented by the image.
Although a GUI, component, or combination of components may portray a certain xe2x80x9clook and feelxe2x80x9d relative to functional interaction with the computer, and although the depictions, themes or presentations displayed by such images are as varied as the minds that conceive them, the search for the most xe2x80x9cuser-friendlyxe2x80x9d GUI seems never ending. A xe2x80x9cuser-friendlyxe2x80x9d GUI provides an easy-to-understand and easy-to-use interface that enables a user to more easily accomplish the purpose of the interaction with the computer.
Various GUI xe2x80x9chelpxe2x80x9d features have been provided in the art for allowing a user to obtain on-line help information. For example, a common help system in Windows(trademark) software involves the use of the right mouse button to click on a particular control feature, whether the control is enabled or disabled. This action produces a xe2x80x9cpop-up menuxe2x80x9d containing a selectable item labeled, xe2x80x9cWhat""s This?xe2x80x9d. When the user selects this item, the software presents a simple window containing a general-purpose description of the control that was right-clicked. The biggest problem with this type of help system is that for any one control that is right-clicked on, there is only one help message available and it is not context-specific. Because of this, the writers of the software must try to put enough information in the message to be helpful in a variety of contexts. But, if the help message is too large, the user might feel intimidated by the volume of text and overlook the possible resolution that is specific to the issue at hand. Another problem is that the user must actively request the help. To this regard, if the user doesn""t happen to think of the help system, the software doesn""t do anything to remind him of it, and the help message will go unread.
Another xe2x80x9chelpxe2x80x9d system provided in the Macintosh(copyright) operating system is called xe2x80x9cBalloon Helpxe2x80x9d. It operates by tracking the movement of the mouse pointer and presenting small windows shaped like cartoon speech bubbles next to the control features over which the mouse pointer passes. Advantageously, these windows contain some context-specific descriptions for the control option at which the mouse cursor is currently pointing. In other words, the help balloons typically give useful information about the control and its current setting, and perhaps an interpretation of that setting given the current context of the user interface.
However, there are several disadvantages to this scheme. For example, the xe2x80x9chelpxe2x80x9d mechanism is not always xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d. Namely, to activate balloon help, the user must go to a help menu and select xe2x80x9cShow Balloons.xe2x80x9d Additionally, even if the balloon help feature is turned on, there may not be any useful help available because it""s up to the application vendor to implement the help features, and it takes quite a lot of time to develop truly useful help messages that remain helpful throughout a wide variety of contexts. As a result, there are applications that simply do not support balloon help. Consequently, users typically may not bother to turn it on. However, even when balloon help is fully implemented with really useful messages, the dynamics of the balloons popping up and darting about the screen as the mouse (or other input device) is moved around are often regarded by the user as annoying, further discouraging them from ever using this help feature.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved graphical user interface xe2x80x9chelpxe2x80x9d system for a computing environment.
According to principles of the present invention in a preferred embodiment, a help feature for a user interface includes a help control, such as a graphical button, displayed adjacent to a control option of the user interface. The help control references the control option for obtaining help information about the control option. According to further principles, the help control is displayed, and remains displayed, in response to a detected noteworthy status of the control option. Specifically, the help control is displayed automatically, without user interaction, in the event the control option is disabled and noteworthy. Alternatively, the control option is displayed in the event it is enabled and noteworthy. Also, preferably, the help control is displayed non-intrusively relative to other elements of the user interface. Importantly, when the help control is selected by the user, context-sensitive help information is displayed describing, respectively, why the control option is disabled or why it is enabled and noteworthy.
Other objects, advantages, and capabilities of the present invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds.